Timeline of a Breakup: How to Deal During Each Wretched Stage

Breakups are the worse, especially this time of year (Thankgiving for one, please). While it can feel as if your stomach is going to fall out your butt (still love ya, Mean Girls!), we promise the soul-crushing heartache will pass. Here's a very helpful recovery plan to help you make it through alive.

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When you're going through a breakup...

5 Seconds

Feel the pain? Pop an OTC reliever. A study from Ohio State University found that 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen (the equivalent of two Extra-Strength Tylenol) blunts how the brain reacts to emotional cues, which may cause the news to literally hurt less.

One Hour

Drop and give us 20 burpees! "A breakup triggers the stress response, which floods the body with cortisol and adrenaline," says Ish Major, M.D. A sweaty workout sesh, even if it's short, can help your body return to a calm baseline.

One Day

Hand a pal your phone and social media passwords, and ask her to unfriend and unfollow your ex and scrub his presence from your device. (Can't bear to delete all of your mushy photos? Hide them for the time being in a password-protected photo app like Private Photo Vault, but have your pal create and save the password.) Studies show that ruminating on social media following a breakup will only make you feel worse, and having someone else do the dirty work means you won't even be tempted to look through that "I love you, baby!" album.

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One Week

Now's the time to sign up for those trapeze lessons you've always thought about. The more you focus on you—what you want, what you like, where you want to go on vacation—the easier it can be to disentangle yourself from your old relationship. Plus, having something to look forward to pulls your mind out of the not-so-fun past.

Two Weeks

Get thee on some free dating apps. Though to be clear, the intent at this point isn't to actually accept any date invites. Studies show that simply feeling wanted (37 winks!) can help facilitate your emotional healing. "Knowing you are desirable, and that there are other people out there, can help you begin to think about the future," says therapist Rachel Sussman.

Three Weeks

Call your far-flung cousin to catch up, and when it's your turn, share the nitty-gritty of how the breakup went down. A recent study in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that rehashing the ordeal (either through talking or writing) with an uninvolved, objective party can put you on the mend faster. Creating a narrativecan help build a stronger sense of ownership and acceptance.

One Month

Don't push yourself if you're not ready, but if the cute guy from the corner coffee place asks to hang out, just say yes. "Dressing up and flirting is a powerful way to give yourself an ego boost," says Sussman. And keep the first date low-key: A happy hour, not a three-course dinner, can be the perfect setting for you to finally think, I'm back, bitches!

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